Poland shoots down Russian drones in airspace breach, calls it ‘act of aggression’

10 September 2025 , 07:48

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Poland said on Wednesday that it had shot down Russian drones that entered its airspace during a massive attack on targets across the border in Ukraine, calling it an “act of aggression” by Moscow.

Poland and NATO air forces launched warplanes and put ground-based air defences on high alert, the Polish military said, adding that Dutch F-35 fighters had taken part in the response. It said that drones had repeatedly violated the country’s airspace after Russia began a wave of strikes in Ukraine, near the Polish border.

There were no immediate reports of casualties in Poland. The military did not say how many drones had entered the country’s airspace or how many were shot down. The military said it was looking for crash sites.

“This is an act of aggression that posed a real threat to the safety of our citizens,” the military’s operational command said on social media.

There was no immediate comment from Russia’s defence ministry.

Russian drones have crossed into Poland before, including two drone incursions last week that caused no damage.

Airspace was temporarily closed over parts of Poland because of the military operation, halting all flights at some airports, including the country’s biggest, Warsaw Chopin Airport. The airspace over Warsaw Chopin was later reopened, but the airport said disruptions and delays would persist through Wednesday.

The Polish military warned people not to approach or touch wreckage from downed drones because it could be dangerous. It said the biggest threat was in Poland’s eastern provinces, including Podlaskie, on the border with Belarus; the province of Masovia, which includes the capital, Warsaw; and Lublin, which borders both Belarus and Ukraine.

Russia’s full-scale offensive in Ukraine is in its fourth year, and it has recently ramped up its drone and missile attacks on the country, despite efforts by the United States and other countries to broker peace.

On Sunday, Russia launched its largest drone assault so far in the war, the Ukrainian authorities said. After that attack, the Trump administration said it was prepared to increase economic pressure on Russia to get it to negotiate.

President Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, who has given little indication that he is ready to ease his maximalist demands to end the conflict.

Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s foreign minister, said in a social media post on Wednesday that the incursions demonstrated the need to let neighbouring countries use air defences to intercept drones and missiles in Ukrainian airspace.

“Russian drones flying into Poland during the massive attack on Ukraine show that Putin’s sense of impunity keeps growing because he was not properly punished for his previous crimes,” Mr. Sybiha said.

Since Russia began its full-scale invasion in 2022, NATO countries, especially Poland, have been on high alert for any expansion of the Russian campaign into their territories.

“Repeated violations of NATO airspace by Russian drones are fair warning that Vladimir Putin is testing our resolve to protect Poland and the Baltic nations,” Senator Dick Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, said on social media. “After the carnage Putin continues to visit on Ukraine, these incursions cannot be ignored.”